1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to power conversion and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for monitoring and controlling DC/AC power conversion.
2. Description of the Related Art
A common topology for a DC/AC power conversion module (i.e., a DC/AC inverter) is to employ a DC/DC booster stage followed by an H-bridge. The DC/DC booster stage generates a rectified sine-wave output and the H-bridge, operating at the frequency of an AC line coupled to the output of the DC/AC inverter, creates a true AC waveform by “unfurling” the rectified sine-wave from the DC/DC booster stage. In some instances, the AC output from the DC/AC inverter may be coupled to a commercial AC power line. For example, solar power generation systems utilizing DC/AC inverters convert DC power produced by photovoltaic modules to AC power that may be coupled to the commercial AC power grid.
In order to generate the required AC waveform output, the DC/AC inverter generally receives control signals from a controller via a control signal path for operating the H-bridge, i.e., for alternately switching the diagonals of the H-bridge on and off. Additionally, the DC/AC inverter generally provides one or more monitoring signals back to the controller via a monitoring signal path. The monitoring signals indicate any fault occurrences in the H-bridge and trigger the controller to shut-down the DC/DC booster stage and the H-bridge to prevent any damage in such a situation. Such control and monitoring signal paths require additional components and connections within the power conversion module and consume additional space within the power conversion module.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus for providing control signals to an H-bridge and receiving monitoring signals from the H-bridge utilizing a single communication path.